Kumite at Brittany Howard's Nashville Hardcore Benefit Show at The Basement East, 1/12/2025
Hardcore punk communities are often tightly knit and tightly wound, suspicious of outsiders and of anything that smells like it might be commercialist or consumerist. Old heads like me have a tendency to frame mainstream artists’ or audiences’ interest in hardcore similar to how hip-hop legend Yasiin Bey famously looked at Drake’s music in a 2024 appearance on Recho Omandi’s The Cutting Room podcast. Whether we’re talking about Kentucky punks Knocked Loose appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! or Australia band Speed appearing in a Foot Locker commercial, it’s too pop, too “compatible with shopping,” to be authentic. (It’s worth noting that back when he went by Mos Def, Bey appeared in TV commercials for Visa and Sprite.)
Nashville, my home for the past 27 years, has mostly been immune to this sort of thing. We haven't had many bands flying the banner of “Nashville hardcore” get more than fleeting attention from outside the city’s somewhat insular scene. But that was challenged when Brittany Howard — co-founder of rock ’n’ soul band Alabama Shakes and a winner of five Grammys whose second solo album What Now has a nomination at the upcoming ceremony — announced that her new hardcore outfit Kumite would play their first gig at The Basement East. With support from Indianapolis’ Inner Peace and locals Second Spirit and Snooper, Howard and her group raised money for three important local organizations: Second Harvest Food Bank, Nashville Launch Pad and the Southern Movement Committee. Internet naysayers couldn’t wait to throw out the scarlet letter of hardcore — “scene tourist” — accusing Howard and her fans of being disingenuous because they don’t wear tinnitus like a badge of honor or display a lifelong dedication to collecting obscure 7-inches.
Sunday’s show sold out, and the room was near capacity when Second Spirit went on. The Nashville project’s specialty is fast riffage that occasionally enters the thrash zone. Formed as a one-man act by New England transplant Jared Colby, Second Spirit made a rare onstage appearance with Colby as singer-guitarist. Colby took the opportunity to address the controversy, warmly and earnestly expressing that hardcore has always been a place where disenfranchised folks of all stripes should be welcomed. After the set, a representative from Second Harvest announced that donations from the show were already enough to provide several hundred meals for Nashvillians in need.
Meanwhile, the members of Second Spirit all exited the audience’s line of sight and returned to different instruments than they played before. Then, Howard emerged from the side of the stage. Folks were puzzled when she didn’t get in position to sing as expected, but instead picked up a guitar. Colby grabbed the mic and without a word, the band exploded into a cover of American Nightmare’s “AM/PM.” A handful of die-hards fist-pumped and shouted along.
Kumite at Brittany Howard's Nashville Hardcore Benefit Show at The Basement East, 1/12/2025
After the cover, the players onstage switched instruments again and Howard took the microphone. Thus Kumite was hatched to an enthusiastic response from fans, and ripped through an abbreviated set of metal-tinged hardcore with double-kick breakdowns.
It was a unique experience, as a person who has logged hundreds of hours watching hardcore bands, to hear someone who is a great singer in a conventional sense screaming and barking her way around the stage. The set was brief, following one of the most important traditions in the scene: Never play too long at your first show! During the changeover, a representative from Nashville Launch Pad took the opportunity to explain their important work of caring for young members of our city’s LGBTQ community with home insecurity. The organization does the crucial work of making sure those on the fringe don’t slip through the cracks, sleeping on the streets or living in dangerous environments.
Inner Peace at Brittany Howard's Nashville Hardcore Benefit Show at The Basement East, 1/12/2025
The third set was from Inner Peace, who were honestly my favorite part of the night. Their 2024 EP Floorbreaker really impressed me, bringing the flavor of late-’80s NYHC (think Breakdown or Burn or the New Breed comp) with rapper Drayco McCoy out front. While the rapping-over-hardcore technique has clearly created some terrible music, Inner Peace has it down. McCoy has a distinct method to his vocal style that works with the music, rather than against it. Their live show was heavier than I had expected, hinting at the kind of Slayer-core of Integrity or Unbroken, and their menacing stage presence was a perfect match to their concrete riffs.
While the band disassembled their gear, the Southern Movement Committee took over. The SMC is a group of local organizers who work with community members to implement transformative programs and policies, developed by people directly impacted by incarceration, police violence, racism and economic inequality. These heroes are doing some of the most important work in town, pushing Nashville toward justice and empowering folks at the street level.
Snooper at Brittany Howard's Nashville Hardcore Benefit Show at The Basement East, 1/12/2025
Finally, Snooper took to the stage. Depending on exactly how you count the warehouse show they played on NYE, the world-touring art-punks only played two local shows in 2024, and their first local gig of 2025 happened amid work on the follow-up to their standout 2023 LP Super Snooper. All this time on the road had the Snoops in ultra-tight form, and familiar songs had been reworked with new arrangements and samples.
As hardcore gets another spin in the spotlight — a trend likely to fall off the cliff just like it has time and again — it's strange for a lot of us to watch as new people discover it. As a middle-aged man who knew all the words to “AM/PM” before some folks at the show were likely born, it was admittedly hard for me to wrap my head around a successful celebrity musician wanting to be a part of this thing I have put so much of my own personal passion into. But as long as anyone new believes in a strong sense of community and justice, I want to echo Second Spirit’s message: Thanks for coming out.
The Spin: Brittany Howard's Nashville Hardcore Benefit Show at The Basement East, 1/12/2025
With Kumite, Snooper and Inner Peace
Kumite at Brittany Howard's Nashville Hardcore Benefit Show at The Basement East, 1/12/2025
